Local drive-in theater is keeping the tradition alive
Jul. 17—HENDERSON — Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre, at 3336 Raleigh Road, celebrated its 74th anniversary this past Saturday.
Mark and Jennifer Frank bought the theater back in 2011. Around a decade and a half ago, the pair owned a drive-in in Virginia before giving up the lease and moving to Henderson to focus on Raleigh Road.
"I knew the previous owner," said Mark as to why he chose Henderson, "and I never thought he would have sold it. But, he did decide to sell it and the opportunity came along for us to purchase it with the knowledge we already had from another drive-in. I was very familiar with it already, as a customer and also kind of the behind-the-scenes with the previous owner, as I was good friends with him."
Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre originally opened in 1949, during the heyday of drive-ins, as the Moon-Glo Outdoor Theater. The first film to grace its silver screen was "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves." Some 30 years later, the theater rebranded as Raleigh Road Outdoor Theater.
"We're set up very similar to what it was in 1949," said Mark.
It's one of around six in the state that can be considered "old-school," said Mark. There are only about 300 drive-ins total in the country nowadays, down from 4,000 in the late 1950s.
"It's a part of Americana, it's history, it's keeping history alive," said Mark. "It survived several wars, survived a lot of different ups and downs in the movie industry, whether it be the advent of streaming, the advent of VHS or DVD, the advent of cable television. It's still a night out — dinner and a movie.
Outdoor theaters offer something over conventional theaters, said Mark: atmosphere!
"You get the ambience of the outdoors, whether it be good weather or bad weather," said Mark. "You get to sit outside, and, especially days in the summer time, once the sun goes down, it's actually not too hot outside — you can sit outside in your chair and watch a movie.
"You can bring your kids. If you have misbehaving kids, they're not disturbing other people in a closed, confined area, seat to seat."
Since it serves people aged "1 to 101," per their website, the theater shows two movies at a time: one rated PG first; then, when the kids fall asleep, the parents can watch something rated PG-13 or R. It's a good way to have a full night out without the need for a babysitter, said Mark.
Spend five hours with us, eat dinner and watch two movies... and kind of go back in time, a little bit, as the theater is really set up like it was in 1949. It's kind of a nice, nostalgic night out."
The place is a regional draw as well, pulling in customers in a 90-mile radius, said Mark.
Mark is passionate about movies.
"I could sit here for an hour and name off my favorite movies," he said when asked if he had a favorite.
"Ghostbusters," is his number one. It's near and dear to his heart, being the first movie he remembers going to. "Terminator 2" was the first he saw at a drive-in. Two classics.
"We enjoy playing the classics, personally, at our theater," said Mark. "Top Gun," "Grease," "Ghostbusters" and "True Grit," for example. Though, they don't shy away from newer films, like "Barbie."
Movies are a communal experience, Mark said. He recalled playing the 1980 film "Airplane" a few years ago.
"You already know the laughs on that one, because you've seen it a bunch of times, most people have," said Mark. "But, it's just fun to hear the whole audience laugh at certain parts, or gasp at certain parts, depending on what style of movie it is, whether it be a horror, a comedy, a drama. So, you get the community feel with it, which is definitely something that is welcomed and a little bit more rare than it used to be."
